Publication Date

April 2018

Abstract

A decade of dye tracing in southeastern Minnesota within shallow, buried Cambrian siliciclastic units has revealed groundwater flow characteristics more commonly associated with carbonate karst aquifers. To understand the hydrologic system, several characterization methods were used on a pair of dye traces in central Winona County in southeast Minnesota. South of the City of Stockton, Minnesota, a deeply incised north-south trending valley and its tributaries contain a number of large springs and several sinking streams. In the project area, streams sink into the lower part of the Cambrian siliciclastic Jordan Sandstone or the upper portion of the underlying Cambrian St. Lawrence Formation. The St. Lawrence Formation consists of interbedded well-cemented siltstone, very fine-grained sandstone, and very thin shale. Most of the large springs found in deeply incised valleys in southeastern Minnesota emanate from the basal St. Lawrence and upper Lone Rock Formations. The Lone Rock is a siliciclastic unit consisting of fine-grained sandstone and siltstone with minor beds of shale and dolostone. Passive charcoal detectors were used to calculate dye-breakthrough velocities that ranged between 58-203 meters/day at one location and 47-72 meters/day at another. These velocities are consistent with other trace velocities measured within siliciclastic units in southeastern Minnesota. Water samples collected at the sinking streams, springs, and a domestic well in the project area show elevated nitrate and chloride concentrations indicating the presence anthropogenic impacts likely related to application of fertilizers and road salt. Passive geophysical data were collected at the sinking stream locations and at transects within two valleys to characterize depth to bedrock. At the sinking stream above mapped Jordan Sandstone, the depth to bedrock was determined to be 6.4 meters. The depth at the location mapped above the St. Lawrence Formation was determined to be 5.2 meters. These data suggest colluvium and alluvium layers are thicker than what was previously conceptually modeled in this setting. The results of these dye traces are consistent with others in southeast Minnesota showing that the siliciclastic St. Lawrence and Lone Rock Formations have conduit-flow properties similar to those found in carbonate karst aquifers.

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A decade of dye tracing in southeastern Minnesota within shallow, buried Cambrian siliciclastic units has revealed groundwater flow characteristics more commonly associated with carbonate karst aquifers. To understand the hydrologic system, several characterization methods were used on a pair of dye traces in central Winona County in southeast Minnesota. South of the City of Stockton, Minnesota, a deeply incised north-south trending valley and its tributaries contain a number of large springs and several sinking streams. In the project area, streams sink into the lower part of the Cambrian siliciclastic Jordan Sandstone or the upper portion of the underlying Cambrian St. Lawrence Formation. The St. Lawrence Formation consists of interbedded well-cemented siltstone, very fine-grained sandstone, and very thin shale. Most of the large springs found in deeply incised valleys in southeastern Minnesota emanate from the basal St. Lawrence and upper Lone Rock Formations. The Lone Rock is a siliciclastic unit consisting of fine-grained sandstone and siltstone with minor beds of shale and dolostone. Passive charcoal detectors were used to calculate dye-breakthrough velocities that ranged between 58-203 meters/day at one location and 47-72 meters/day at another. These velocities are consistent with other trace velocities measured within siliciclastic units in southeastern Minnesota. Water samples collected at the sinking streams, springs, and a domestic well in the project area show elevated nitrate and chloride concentrations indicating the presence anthropogenic impacts likely related to application of fertilizers and road salt. Passive geophysical data were collected at the sinking stream locations and at transects within two valleys to characterize depth to bedrock. At the sinking stream above mapped Jordan Sandstone, the depth to bedrock was determined to be 6.4 meters. The depth at the location mapped above the St. Lawrence Formation was determined to be 5.2 meters. These data suggest colluvium and alluvium layers are thicker than what was previously conceptually modeled in this setting. The results of these dye traces are consistent with others in southeast Minnesota showing that the siliciclastic St. Lawrence and Lone Rock Formations have conduit-flow properties similar to those found in carbonate karst aquifers.